Memorial Day Travel Expected to Decline, But Only Slightly

Memorial Day marks the beginning of the summer travel season and the first big road-trip weekend of the year. This year travelers are expected to go a bit farther while spending less. The total number of travelers is also likely to decline, according to projections from AAA.

But with the price of gasoline about two cents less per gallon than it was a year ago, the bottom line for many drivers is that the holiday excursion will cost about the same as it did last year.

The travel group estimates 34.8 million people in the U.S. will take trips of 50 miles or more during the holiday weekend, which is 0.9% fewer than last year’s total of 35.1 million. The overall decline is largely attributable to an 8% decrease in air travel and a sense of economic uncertainty.

“AAA is forecasting Memorial Day travel to be slightly lower this year due to an to an up and down economy, the impact of the end of the payroll tax holiday on working families and a 30-year low in the percentage of working age people in the workforce,” said AAA President and CEO Robert L. Darbelnet.

Still, the volume of travelers is expected to stay above AAA’s 12-year average of 34.7 million.

AAA said 89% of travelers, or about 31.2 million, will go by car this year, compared with 31.1 million a year earlier. The group projects air travel will decline to 2.3 million from 2.5 million last year, driven by expensive fares, “fee fatigue” and the hassles of airport security.

The average trip is expected to cover 690 miles, compared with 642 miles last year.